Posted on 06/02/2014 9:17:22 AM PDT by Twotone
Video about a new solar panel technology.
How much do they cost? How long do they last? How much electricity does each one have to produce to create any kind of a payback before they are not working and a hazard?
But are they going to be able to run at 1/3 optimal? And how expensive will this be to lay down? Especially when compared to nuclear power plants? Plus of course with so much roadway so far away most electrical usage there’s a lot of infrastructure to be added to move the electricity and a lot of power will be lost along the way? And how long will this project take? From the passing of the interstate highway act to the project being declared “done” (even though it really wasn’t) was 36 years, replacing all that with solar panels is probably another multidecade multitrillion dollar project.
The first step for this is really parking lots, if it’s a good idea it will be proven by the retail sector there. Let it get proven there before we sign up future generations on something that has a good chance, at least with known technology and conditions, of not actually being a good idea.
I’m for testing too. I do think your major concerns about roadways needs to be tested in that type of environment though.
I’m not sure how much of the article you read, but the ability to reconfigure parking lots in minutes seems like a very good option. There are a number of great features involved in this.
There are a myriad of interesting points covered by the video and web site.
Power cabling is part of the plan.
They really do seem to have given this a lot of thought. Creators of new projects often miss or overlook the negatives, so good push-back may lead to improvements, or even ultimately a rejection of the idea.
We’ll see what happens. I predict nothing. People come out with a lot of idea that sound great on paper (or these days on youtube) that go nowhere. If it has potential we’ll find out at mall parking lots.
I agree with that. I will say though, that even if parking lots show promise, there are going to be folks who will say it will never work on a roadway. Put it on a test roadway and see.
If it works on parking lots I’ll probably work on local streets and freeways near cities. Middle of nowhere freeways could still be an issue due to power transmission issues. But really at city level that’s a lot of power.
Unless you've lived here in Michigan, you don't know the half of it.......freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw all winter long. Our roads this spring have been the worst I've ever seen.....
yea... just a union project trying to get funding
meanwhile, anyone that’s driven on wet cobblestones will tell you how great the traction is.
then just imagine that at 80mph
it’s be quicker and easier to put in solar powered network repeaters and have your car pick up and display the info.
sorry, did that use too much commonsense?
stop using tar. concrete handles it better (but is generally not run by the mob/unions)
Sudden stops and accelerations would tear it apart.......plus you'd need to hire someone to mow the parking lot... :)
i see you know all about trucks.
We’ll see how it goes. Thanks for the discussion.
later
not feasible
The roads I'm talking about ARE concrete and you can't patch concrete with concrete because concrete has to set and dry,........
That is the coloring dye fading/wearing out. The technology to dye the concrete has changed so it lasts longer now.
Asphalt is made from oil, not coal tar.........
No, that’s dirt and grunge getting ground into it.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5062686419_2269dc30f3.jpg
Those used to be red brick, now they’re tire colored brick. And if those were solar panels it’s going to be hard for them to see the sun through all that crud.
Wait for the homeless to start removing the panels and selling them for scrap. The glass cover would be great when it rains and some poor slob on a motorcycle goes sliding off the road. or a panel develops a short and blows up under a car should be fun times.
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